Approximately 323 million people visited American national parks in 2025, a 2.7% year-over-year decrease and the first annual decline since 2020.
President Woodrow Wilson in 1916 signed the act creating the National Park Service to leave natural and historic phenomenons "unimpaired for the enjoyment of future generations." Since then, our national parks have welcomed visitors from around the world to experience some of the best the country has to offer and showcase the country's natural beauty and cultural heritage. Today, the country's 63 national parks contain at least 247 species of endangered or threatened plants and animals, more than 75,000 archaeological sites, and 18,000 miles of trails.
Stacker compiled a list of the closest national parks to Spokane. National parks are ranked by closest straight line distance, measured from representative points in Spokane-Spokane Valley, WA Metro Area and each national park. Estimated driving times are from Here and are only available within the lower 48 states. All featured distances and driving times are estimated using representative locations from the center of each metro and national park—for some places within the metro area, the actual distance may be slightly shorter or longer to reach the closest entryway to a park.
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1 / 63#1. North Cascades National Park (Washington)
- Distance: 168 miles
- Driving time: 7.4 hours
- Date founded: October 2, 1968
- 2025 visitors: 46,925 (#57 highest among all national parks)
- Park area: 504,780.94 acres
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2 / 63#2. Glacier National Park (Montana)
- Distance: 175 miles
- Date founded: May 11, 1910
- 2025 visitors: 3,136,557 (#10 highest among all national parks)
- Park area: 1,013,125.99 acres
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3 / 63#3. Mount Rainier National Park (Washington)
- Distance: 210 miles
- Driving time: 5.9 hours
- Date founded: March 2, 1899
- 2025 visitors: 1,635,342 (#20 highest among all national parks)
- Park area: 236,381.64 acres
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4 / 63#4. Olympic National Park (Washington)
- Distance: 271 miles
- Driving time: 8.1 hours
- Date founded: June 29, 1938
- 2025 visitors: 3,584,187 (#9 highest among all national parks)
- Park area: 922,649.41 acres
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5 / 63#5. Crater Lake National Park (Oregon)
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6 / 63#6. Yellowstone National Park (Wyoming, Montana, Idaho)
- Distance: 419 miles
- Driving time: 9.3 hours
- Date founded: March 1, 1872
- 2025 visitors: 4,762,988 (#3 highest among all national parks)
- Park area: 2,219,790.71 acres
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7 / 63#7. Grand Teton National Park (Wyoming)
- Distance: 447 miles
- Driving time: 10.8 hours
- Date founded: February 26, 1929
- 2025 visitors: 3,800,648 (#8 highest among all national parks)
- Park area: 310,044.36 acres
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8 / 63#8. Lassen Volcanic National Park (California)
- Distance: 558 miles
- Driving time: 13.3 hours
- Date founded: August 9, 1916
- 2025 visitors: 504,777 (#40 highest among all national parks)
- Park area: 106,589.02 acres
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9 / 63#9. Redwood National Park (California)
- Distance: 563 miles
- Driving time: 12.9 hours
- Date founded: October 2, 1968
- 2025 visitors: 1,202,480 (#25 highest among all national parks)
- Park area: 138,999.37 acres
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10 / 63#10. Great Basin National Park (Nevada)
- Distance: 651 miles
- Driving time: 15.2 hours
- Date founded: October 27, 1986
- 2025 visitors: 161,210 (#54 highest among all national parks)
- Park area: 77,180.00 acres
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11 / 63#11. Theodore Roosevelt National Park (North Dakota)
- Distance: 669 miles
- Driving time: 12.8 hours
- Date founded: November 10, 1978
- 2025 visitors: 729,893 (#33 highest among all national parks)
- Park area: 70,446.89 acres
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12 / 63#12. Yosemite National Park (California)
- Distance: 714 miles
- Driving time: 17.9 hours
- Date founded: October 1, 1890
- 2025 visitors: 4,278,413 (#5 highest among all national parks)
- Park area: 761,747.50 acres
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13 / 63#13. Wind Cave National Park (South Dakota)
- Distance: 751 miles
- Driving time: 13.8 hours
- Date founded: January 9, 1903
- 2025 visitors: 606,258 (#37 highest among all national parks)
- Park area: 33,970.84 acres
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14 / 63#14. Capitol Reef National Park (Utah)
- Distance: 757 miles
- Driving time: 14.9 hours
- Date founded: December 18, 1971
- 2025 visitors: 1,388,476 (#22 highest among all national parks)
- Park area: 241,904.50 acres
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15 / 63#15. Arches National Park (Utah)
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16 / 63#16. Bryce Canyon National Park (Utah)
- Distance: 777 miles
- Driving time: 15.8 hours
- Date founded: February 25, 1928
- 2025 visitors: 1,967,367 (#16 highest among all national parks)
- Park area: 35,835.08 acres
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17 / 63#17. Zion National Park (Utah)
- Distance: 781 miles
- Driving time: 15.7 hours
- Date founded: November 19, 1919
- 2025 visitors: 4,984,525 (#2 highest among all national parks)
- Park area: 147,242.66 acres
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18 / 63#18. Kings Canyon National Park (California)
- Distance: 781 miles
- Driving time: 21.2 hours
- Date founded: March 4, 1940
- 2025 visitors: 779,791 (#30 highest among all national parks)
- Park area: 461,901.20 acres
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19 / 63#19. Canyonlands National Park (Utah)
- Distance: 786 miles
- Driving time: 19.9 hours
- Date founded: September 12, 1964
- 2025 visitors: 796,057 (#29 highest among all national parks)
- Park area: 337,597.83 acres
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20 / 63#20. Badlands National Park (South Dakota)
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21 / 63#21. Rocky Mountain National Park (Colorado)
- Distance: 799 miles
- Driving time: 16.4 hours
- Date founded: January 26, 1915
- 2025 visitors: 4,171,431 (#6 highest among all national parks)
- Park area: 265,807.25 acres
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22 / 63#22. Sequoia National Park (California)
- Distance: 807 miles
- Driving time: 21.0 hours
- Date founded: September 25, 1890
- 2025 visitors: 1,378,337 (#23 highest among all national parks)
- Park area: 404,062.63 acres
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23 / 63#23. Death Valley National Park (California, Nevada)
- Distance: 819 miles
- Driving time: 17.9 hours
- Date founded: October 31, 1994
- 2025 visitors: 1,320,134 (#24 highest among all national parks)
- Park area: 3,408,406.73 acres
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24 / 63#24. Pinnacles National Park (California)
- Distance: 821 miles
- Driving time: 16.8 hours
- Date founded: January 10, 2013
- 2025 visitors: 343,208 (#47 highest among all national parks)
- Park area: 26,685.73 acres
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25 / 63#25. Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Park (Colorado)
- Distance: 825 miles
- Driving time: 16.7 hours
- Date founded: October 21, 1999
- 2025 visitors: 250,086 (#50 highest among all national parks)
- Park area: 30,779.83 acres
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26 / 63#26. Grand Canyon National Park (Arizona)
- Distance: 877 miles
- Driving time: 19.5 hours
- Date founded: February 26, 1919
- 2025 visitors: 4,430,653 (#4 highest among all national parks)
- Park area: 1,201,647.03 acres
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27 / 63#27. Mesa Verde National Park (Colorado)
- Distance: 885 miles
- Driving time: 17.3 hours
- Date founded: June 29, 1906
- 2025 visitors: 463,130 (#43 highest among all national parks)
- Park area: 52,485.17 acres
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28 / 63#28. Great Sand Dunes National Park (Colorado)
- Distance: 942 miles
- Driving time: 19.9 hours
- Date founded: September 24, 2004
- 2025 visitors: 432,498 (#44 highest among all national parks)
- Park area: 107,341.87 acres
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29 / 63#29. Channel Islands National Park (California)
- Distance: 976 miles
- Date founded: March 5, 1980
- 2025 visitors: 227,186 (#51 highest among all national parks)
- Park area: 249,561.00 acres
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30 / 63#30. Petrified Forest National Park (Arizona)
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31 / 63#31. Joshua Tree National Park (California)
- Distance: 991 miles
- Driving time: 21.7 hours
- Date founded: October 31, 1994
- 2025 visitors: 2,932,644 (#12 highest among all national parks)
- Park area: 795,155.85 acres
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32 / 63#32. Glacier Bay National Park (Alaska)
- Distance: 1,070 miles
- Date founded: December 2, 1980
- 2025 visitors: 740,044 (#32 highest among all national parks)
- Park area: 3,223,383.43 acres
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33 / 63#33. Voyageurs National Park (Minnesota)
- Distance: 1,138 miles
- Driving time: 22.4 hours
- Date founded: April 8, 1975
- 2025 visitors: 206,326 (#53 highest among all national parks)
- Park area: 218,222.35 acres
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34 / 63#34. Saguaro National Park (Arizona)
- Distance: 1,156 miles
- Driving time: 24.5 hours
- Date founded: October 14, 1994
- 2025 visitors: 847,749 (#28 highest among all national parks)
- Park area: 92,867.42 acres
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35 / 63#35. White Sands National Park (New Mexico)
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36 / 63#36. Carlsbad Caverns National Park (New Mexico)
- Distance: 1,299 miles
- Driving time: 25.5 hours
- Date founded: May 14, 1930
- 2025 visitors: 410,778 (#46 highest among all national parks)
- Park area: 46,766.45 acres
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37 / 63#37. Guadalupe Mountains National Park (Texas)
- Distance: 1,302 miles
- Driving time: 26.5 hours
- Date founded: October 15, 1966
- 2025 visitors: 206,423 (#52 highest among all national parks)
- Park area: 86,367.10 acres
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38 / 63#38. Wrangell–St. Elias National Park (Alaska)
- Distance: 1,310 miles
- Date founded: December 2, 1980
- 2025 visitors: 108,840 (#55 highest among all national parks)
- Park area: 8,323,146.48 acres
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39 / 63#39. Isle Royale National Park (Michigan)
- Distance: 1,339 miles
- Driving time: 26.8 hours
- Date founded: April 3, 1940
- 2025 visitors: 29,091 (#60 highest among all national parks)
- Park area: 571,790.30 acres
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40 / 63#40. Big Bend National Park (Texas)
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41 / 63#41. Kenai Fjords National Park (Alaska)
- Distance: 1,516 miles
- Date founded: December 2, 1980
- 2025 visitors: 425,369 (#45 highest among all national parks)
- Park area: 669,650.05 acres
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42 / 63#42. Gateway Arch National Park (Missouri)
- Distance: 1,519 miles
- Driving time: 26.8 hours
- Date founded: February 22, 2018[47]
- 2025 visitors: 2,209,028 (#15 highest among all national parks)
- Park area: 192.83 acres
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43 / 63#43. Indiana Dunes National Park (Indiana)
- Distance: 1,556 miles
- Driving time: 27.1 hours
- Date founded: February 15, 2019
- 2025 visitors: 2,629,497 (#13 highest among all national parks)
- Park area: 15,349.08 acres
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44 / 63#44. Hot Springs National Park (Arkansas)
- Distance: 1,576 miles
- Driving time: 29.7 hours
- Date founded: March 4, 1921
- 2025 visitors: 2,494,611 (#14 highest among all national parks)
- Park area: 5,554.15 acres
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45 / 63#45. Denali National Park (Alaska)
- Distance: 1,629 miles
- Date founded: February 26, 1917
- 2025 visitors: 543,300 (#39 highest among all national parks)
- Park area: 4,740,911.16 acres
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46 / 63#46. Lake Clark National Park (Alaska)
- Distance: 1,661 miles
- Date founded: December 2, 1980
- 2025 visitors: 19,778 (#61 highest among all national parks)
- Park area: 2,619,816.49 acres
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47 / 63#47. Katmai National Park (Alaska)
- Distance: 1,678 miles
- Date founded: December 2, 1980
- 2025 visitors: 34,479 (#59 highest among all national parks)
- Park area: 3,674,529.33 acres
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48 / 63#48. Mammoth Cave National Park (Kentucky)
- Distance: 1,760 miles
- Driving time: 31.7 hours
- Date founded: July 1, 1941
- 2025 visitors: 660,734 (#34 highest among all national parks)
- Park area: 54,011.91 acres
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49 / 63#49. Cuyahoga Valley National Park (Ohio)
- Distance: 1,823 miles
- Driving time: 31.6 hours
- Date founded: October 11, 2000
- 2025 visitors: 3,025,325 (#11 highest among all national parks)
- Park area: 32,571.88 acres
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50 / 63#50. Gates of the Arctic National Park (Alaska)
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51 / 63#51. Great Smoky Mountains National Park (North Carolina, Tennessee)
- Distance: 1,936 miles
- Driving time: 34.9 hours
- Date founded: June 15, 1934
- 2025 visitors: 11,527,939 (#1 highest among all national parks)
- Park area: 522,426.88 acres
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52 / 63#52. New River Gorge National Park (West Virginia)
- Distance: 1,954 miles
- Driving time: 35.2 hours
- Date founded: December 27, 2020
- 2025 visitors: 1,958,440 (#17 highest among all national parks)
- Park area: 7,021 acres
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53 / 63#53. Kobuk Valley National Park (Alaska)
- Distance: 1,977 miles
- Date founded: December 2, 1980
- 2025 visitors: 7,786 (#63 highest among all national parks)
- Park area: 1,750,716.16 acres
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54 / 63#54. Shenandoah National Park (Virginia)
- Distance: 2,063 miles
- Driving time: 38.2 hours
- Date founded: December 26, 1935
- 2025 visitors: 1,682,152 (#19 highest among all national parks)
- Park area: 199,223.77 acres
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55 / 63#55. Congaree National Park (South Carolina)
- Distance: 2,140 miles
- Driving time: 38.8 hours
- Date founded: November 10, 2003
- 2025 visitors: 287,833 (#49 highest among all national parks)
- Park area: 26,476.47 acres
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56 / 63#56. Acadia National Park (Maine)
- Distance: 2,344 miles
- Driving time: 46.3 hours
- Date founded: February 26, 1919
- 2025 visitors: 4,079,318 (#7 highest among all national parks)
- Park area: 49,076.63 acres
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57 / 63#57. Dry Tortugas National Park (Florida)
- Distance: 2,490 miles
- Driving time: 48.2 hours
- Date founded: October 26, 1992
- 2025 visitors: 89,355 (#56 highest among all national parks)
- Park area: 64,701.22 acres
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58 / 63#58. Everglades National Park (Florida)
- Distance: 2,535 miles
- Driving time: 46.4 hours
- Date founded: May 30, 1934
- 2025 visitors: 778,198 (#31 highest among all national parks)
- Park area: 1,508,938.57 acres
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59 / 63#59. Biscayne National Park (Florida)
- Distance: 2,554 miles
- Driving time: 45.3 hours
- Date founded: June 28, 1980
- 2025 visitors: 486,567 (#41 highest among all national parks)
- Park area: 172,971.11 acres
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60 / 63#60. Haleakalā National Park (Hawaii)
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61 / 63#61. Hawaiʻi Volcanoes National Park (Hawaii)
- Distance: 2,881 miles
- Date founded: August 1, 1916
- 2025 visitors: 1,877,854 (#18 highest among all national parks)
- Park area: 325,605.28 acres
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62 / 63#62. Virgin Islands National Park (U.S. Virgin Islands)
- Distance: 3,592 miles
- Date founded: August 2, 1956
- 2025 visitors: 471,074 (#42 highest among all national parks)
- Park area: 15,052.53 acres
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63 / 63#63. National Park of American Samoa (American Samoa)
- Distance: 5,385 miles
- Date founded: October 31, 1988
- 2025 visitors: 43,258 (#58 highest among all national parks)
- Park area: 8,256.67 acres
